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When I was writing The Tyranny Of God in 2008, I was looking for a word that can define my philosophy. Defining myself as an atheist did not seem the right fit for many reasons. I looked for the right word. There were rationalism, positivism, existentialism but they all have an existing history given to them by previous thinkers and authors. Then I realised that what the religious mind prioritised was faith over reason. Ultimately, the religous mind rejects and accepts any reasonable proposition based on their religious faith. Therefore, there was such a thing as Faithism. What I was advocating was more a philosophy of reason over faith. I was a Reasonist. On matters beyond our understanding, it is more reasonable to believe in things for which we have good evidence rather than believing things simply by a asserting their truths as a matter of faith. It is therefore a way of reasoning without resorting to faith and superstition.

Reasonism is therefore a philosophy based on the following statement:

For us to believe in something, we must have good reasons to believe it. A reason is a good reason if it is based on intelligent ideas. Ideas are intelligent if they have the power to predict. We can only predict when we acquire the knowledge we need that are close to the truth, allowing us to arrive at models and theories that help us make predictions. To do this, we need to use good information. Good information is something that is based on good evidence. Good evidence must be understandable, relevant, reliable, independently verifiable, comparable and consistent.

I came to a point in my life where I really wanted to know whether there was a god. It seemed painful and sad to think that there is nothing beyond this life, but what if there is indeed no Heaven, no God and no Hell? If God does not, then how should I live my life? If he does not exist, then how does that tie in to everything I know to be true? For most of my life, I did not feel compelled to answer these questions for myself. But last year, I really wanted to seek what is true. This book is a result of that pursuit.

Based on what I have read and understood, I cannot see how a supernatural being that exists beyond time and space can exist. I am also more inclined to believe the following:

There is no Heaven, there is no Hell and there is no life after death.

Morality, religion and gods are products of our own cultures. They exist only in our minds. They arise because we recognise that there are certain behaviours and actions that we are comfortable with. We, therefore, define what is moral. In the absence of laws and law-enforcement agencies, our ancestors used the concept of God to get people to act morally. Without modern scientific knowledge, our ancestors used religion to explain natural phenomena. Without structures to control and mobilise their societies, ancient leaders created their gods and built religions around them.

On the 24th of November 2008, the U.N. passed a draft resolution against defaming religion. It was sponsored by the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). They want nations to pass legislation against blasphemy. At this point in time, it is optional for each member nation of the U.N to adopt this resolution. In the next few months, however, the OIC will be pushing for its enforcement worldwide. What do you think about the U.N passing an anti-blasphemy law? Do you think it's a good thing or a bad thing and why?